PLDN Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Another Short Oasis Before Waterfall Sub-Entry 061: "Flowey's Warning": I was frozen in fear for that brief moment. When I recovered, Sans was already gone. "Bad to worse." I growled. I found myself at the border of Waterfall. Another of Sans' sentry stations. He wasn't there, which was less of a surprise than I would have originally reserved. No going back to Grillby's now. I'm pretty sure he didn't want to hear it. I was finding it hard to defend Frisk, now. I'd clashed with them twice. If I had to do I a third time, then all bets were off. The race would be on. "That's the only thing holding him back now. One last strike." I headed over to the sentry station and sat down, leaning up against it. "I gotta say. Madam Fate's losing her touch. Once was a sucker punch, but twice is a step away from being predictable. I KNOW how much her black knight hates predictable." I sighed and closed my eyes. I took in the quiet. Ambiant sounds, Water noises. I could see Monster Kid up ahead as well as the Echo Flower Explainer. Fortunately I was too far away for them to notice. It was just as well. "I bet you're proud of yourself." "I've been expecting you, Flowey." "Well stinkin' brag about it, fuzz face." "You used to have a fuzz face." "Stop it, Arcade. It's getting old. You're not going to save another Asriel. He died long ago. Isn't one goat brat enough for you." "Don't flatter yourself. If you're going to be a vindictive brat, then you're Frisk's responsibility now." "Heh. Good one, furball." "..." "...c'mon...you made your point." "..." "This isn't funny!" "What's wrong , weed? You don't seem to have much faith in them. Weren't they trying to save you, too? Or is there something you know?" "N-no. You're c-crazy! Why would I be afraid of them? They wouldn't--" ""That's all the proof I need. Good luck hiding from them." I stood up and headed over to the entrance, ready to set a save marker. A long silence. "You idiot...." "Hmmm...?" I slyly looked over my shoulder. "You don't get it, do you?" "Get...what?" I said rather calmly. "...oh no. You're not going to--" Flowey covered his mouth with his leaves. "What you just said tells me everything I know. Out with it." Flowey hung his head. "Don't you even know?" "Enlighten me." "You think you're in the clear. But you've stepped into his trap twice, now." "And the plant is guilty of collaboration." I crossed my arms. "He promised you something. Just the same as he promised Frisk." "You're half right. There was a promise. But it's not who or what you think." "Letting this slip out...you don't know what he does to traitors do you? But this isn't your first offense of betraying someone, is it?" "Don't...don't you go there..." Flowey trembled. I shook my head. "You say I'm the idiot. But who's the one trusting someone who can't be trusted?" "You think I agreed to play my part because I trust him? When he approached me, he warned me NOT to trust him. So I don't." My ears drooped. "I know why you don't trust him...but why...why would you back him? Why wouldn't you at least give me the benefit of the doubt?" "..." "Flowey..?" The weed slowly turned around...it had shape-shifted into Asriel's face. He was ominously silent. He then turned away. "Look after Chara...I mean the first one." Okay, what the WHAT? "And watch your back, Arcade. For the record...even I don't know the truth about Frisk...why they're doing what they're doing." Flowey started to burrow. "Flowey." "What?" "...I actually am proud of myself. If that's arrogant, then I make no apology for it. Toriel and Papyrus are alive. I'm going to save Undyne next." Flowey didn't say anything. He burrowed into the ground and was gone. Whose side was on he on? Also...what did he mean by the first one? Counting the one that was in soul society, wasn't she the only Chara on the Goddesses play field. By some prank of Fate's they couldn't even balance Frisk with the Chara soul that was shoved aside? The had to make Frisk a split personality? "Something else I'm going to have to be on guard for." I crossed my arms, foreseeing the danger of Flowey double-dealing. If this were cloak-and-dagger, Violet would waste no time in making jokes about Flowey being a plant...in both the sense of being flora and the sense of being a spy. I turned toward the glowing-stone-filled ceiling. "Cat's out of the bag, my former protogee. He told me enough to link you to this...you're not going to win this. Boom. I just challenged you." Yeah. I know I was tempting fate. I knew I was making the challenge. This is a bad move. But frankly...I was tired of being pushed around. I couldn't stay on the defensive forever. I was going to have to make a strike against the Followers of Chaopolis sooner or later. For now...it was time to head back home. Regroup. Recover. Come up with a new plan. Maybe... ....maybe it was time to think outside the box. Maybe it was time to change the rules. "What would be the most unexpected thing I could do?" I pondered as I set p the DATA SAVE beacon. In my moment of brainstorming...it came to me. "Let's break a few rules and regulations." I said with a sly grin. With that I had a sneaky idea. First things first. I released the Remote Control Box from E.N.G.I.N.E. storage and remotely started the engine, powered on the hover mode. I piloted the Delorean up as high as I could safely fly it. Once it was at the right altitude, I flew it straight to Waterfall. "Right on time." I looked up as it flew silently overhead. I double-checked. No one up ahead had noticed. I clicked on a button and from a hatch underneath spilled the string of flag-banners salvaged from the Lyons Estates billboard from 1955. "Thank you, mentor." I used it to climb up to the driver's side, open the door and climb in. I closed the door, fastened my seatbelt and retracted the line. "Homeward bound." I slingshot the time machine back the way I came... Sub-Entry 062: "Home Again": Once again, I reentered VGM-098's space-time. I canceled the hover conversion and drove back to town. I parked in the Vehicle Bay and headed up to the upper levels. "So. How did it go?" Bunnie was standing there right as the elevator doors opened. "Let's talk." I looked her in the eyes. Afterward... "...so they've gone rogue again?" Bunnie sipped her tea. I nodded. "I saved Papyrus. That's two and zero. I can't keep relying on luck like this. Sooner or later, they're going to turn someone to dust and I won't be able to stop it." "You're pushing yourself too hard, Commander." "I have to. I can't keep losing timelines like this." "So. You're certain this is worth it?" "Bunnie. I'm surprised you'd even ask that." "Do not overthink it. I want to be certain you haven't waivered from your original plan." "It's still his choice when he decides he's ready. When that day comes...the truth. The whole truth." "Let us not think of that day until that day actually comes." I sighed. "So. How's he been while I was out?"" "Handling things pretty well." I pondered for a moment. "Maybe...maybe it's time we conducted the tests that Violet never finished." "In...LYOKO, right?" "Yeah. They haven't been back there in ages. Not since they completed the "game"." "But you know what that will entail." I paced. "No sense in dreading the inevitable. Violet's gonna be Violet. I'd like for once, though, I'd like to get things done without having to jump through her hoops. "We can dream, Commander. We can dream." We're going to wear that word out, aren't we? I shoved my hands in my pockets as I passed by Felicia. "Sally dropped us a line. She was ecstatic to hear Asriel got his license." "Good." We headed out to the square. "I have given it thought, Commander. Perhaps it's time we discussed travel." "You mean a vacation. Hate to break it to you but we're not going to wrap this mission up any time soon. It's barely just begun, and I suspect it's the doorway to something much, much bigger." "Noted. But I was thinking closer to winter." "A winter vacation?" I pondered. "For that to work, I'd have to put the kabosh on Flip-a-Coin Frisk and make sure the Boss Monsters are in good hands. PLUS I'm going to have to throw the Council a bone. I'm not sure how long I can keep out of contact with them before they get antsy." "We'll discuss it a little at a time as we go." "You did have a place in mind, when you brought this up, didn't you?" Bunnie looked on, arms behind her back. "Violet and I have been discussing it. We were compromising on how to arrange a week in Jang. And a week in Ecotropia." "That's pretty far aaprt. But..." I considered things. "It's only fair. You haven't been back to your native country in so long. Not since--" "Yes. The Order of the Lotus." Bunnie remembered the adventure around the world that brought the majority of our Jangese friends to Miranda City. The adventure which took us to the origins of Nalaar--known by the Order as "Noriko". "Are you sure you want us going to Little Tokyo, though?" "Want us going there? Not so much. But. It is only fair to Violet. Besides. She has not visited Lucille-chan in ages." I swallowed hard. "Th..the ram who has a system of missile-launchers hidden in her hairdo?" Bunnie nodded. "Do not be panicked, Commander." "You're asking me to remain calm when all it takes is someone to upset her to trigger a full battery of missiles. You know the trigger mechanism is easily set off my her emotions, right?" "I am aware." I rolled my eyes. The one person who was far ditzier than Gadget and she was a walking weapon who ran a tea shop. "Come on, Commander. Take some tme to unwind. Dust off some old experiments in the lab." "Bunnie, don't say dust..." I rubbed my temples. "My apologies, Volt-san. My apologies." Sub-Entry 063: "When There's Trouble You Know Who To Blame...": A couple days later. I took Bunnie's advice and resumed work in the lab. Asriel was standing by. Curiosity compelled, plus he was hoping to get a jumpstart on the higher level science courses like chemistry and physics. He was...not looking forward to biology; just as I dreaded it. Just as Nermal dreaded it. I worked quietly. THat was when my ear twitched. I slid my glance over. Nothing. No movement. I resumed. There it was again. I narrowed my eyes. One more time. I tightened one last screw-- *CRASH* I sighed, rubbed the bridge between my eyes, above my muzzle, placed the screwdriver down and then tightned my fists briefly. "When there's trouble, I know who to call......" I started. "...to complain." *CRASH* Had I turned around I would have noticed something green-furred with something metal riding atop. "Ugggh. Why couldn't it have been Stank Ball...?" I muttered, feeling my headache get bigger. Asriel ran in at that moment. "Volt, I've very sure we have intruders in the lab." "Intruders, no. Idiots, mabye. Violet's doing--" *CRASH* "...you bet your fluffy buns." I sighed as I heard the laughter and hollering of one Victor Stone and one Garfield Mark Logan. "I don't know how she did it or what she bribed them with..." I grumbled as yet another-- *CRASH* Asriel whirled around. "Uh..." "Do I really want to know, Azzy?" "It depends if you're going to lose your temper over a literal bull in a China Shop. In this case, the glassware storage." Swell. About a few thousand GP worth of Pyrex and Kimax down the tubes. "Use your judgement, Asriel. What do you think?" "...is it too late for me to retract what I said and us pretend that nothing was said in the first place?" *CRASH* "...yup." Awkward silence in between bull charges and glass shattering. "You know--" Asriel started moments before an unused Cyber Gate in the lab started coming to life. "Hold that thought--" I started before the gate opened out and something soared out before tackling me across the room (with the sound of a joyous, female squeal) into a locker, leaving a huge impact crater. "Friend Volt! I have missed you so much!" I knew that feminine voice. "I missed you as well, Kori." I wheezed. "But not as much as I miss breathing and unbruised ribs and shoulder blades right now..." Yup. She did not know her strength. "Ooops!" The candy apple red-haired, green-eyed, orange-skinned Tamuranian quickly released me, rubbing the back of her head...as she hovered in place by a weird anti-gravity. "Volt?!" Asriel gasped, his jaw dropped. "I'm okay, Azzy. Just a bit of an...oww...unexpected reunion." I climbed out of the destroyed lockers. "Asriel, I'd like you to meet Koriand'r. Or Kori Anders. But pretty much everyone she knows calls her Starfire." Starfire's giggle and wave as I introduced her kind of took the edge off. To summarize, she was a lot like splitting the difference between Gadget and Pit in personality. One half cute, air-headed, and innocent. The other half an out-of-place, foreign stranger-in-a-strange land who had a bit of trouble with adapting to the language and customs of the AU Earth she called home. "Howdy, Miss Starfire. I'm Asriel--" Was all goat son got out before Starfire's school girl squeal interupted and he found himself tacklehugged. Ehehe...friendly, wasn't she? "Ohhhhh! You are the cute!" Did I mention she had trouble with English grammar? "Mayhaps you can tell me of your story while we do the hanging out!" Asriel gasped for breath before the squeeze-hugs had him bleating for mercy. It was then I noticed the portal hadn't closed. And for good reason. At that moment, an inky black shape--birdlike but feeling very demonic rose from the gate. I caught the whites of two ice before the shape altered and took on a more humanoid form. A dark blue hooded cloak wrapped around another hovering female form. The blue eyes--underneath the shadow of the almost...beak-like shape of the top of the hood--shifted left...then right. "Typical." She said with that familiar rasp. A fitting alias she chose--Raven. "Rachell." I said quietly. "Neil." She responded. Well. Re-introductions were done with. The form of Rachel Roth looked on with her usual blank if not apathetic expression, her tone laced with dead-pan, sarcastic wit. What a contrast. One alien girl who was a spritely ball of rainbows and innocents and one half-demon girl who was a cloud of gloom and pessimism. Why not. It went well with the adrenaline junkie cyber-jock and the wise-cracking, surfer-minded shaepshifter vegetarian in the other room having a full-on rodeo in our glassware storage area. "I don't suppose you can do anything about that?" I pointed to the side. "Bold assumption presuming they listen to me in the first place." She muttered, still deadpanning. "At least do something about--" A short groan before she closed her eyes and re-opened them, the irises disappearing and just the glowing sclera peaking out. "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" Her chant echoed in the lab before several racks of test tubes, beakers, and flasks were lifted out of the way of Beast Boy's next bucking charge; each object encased in a demonic black light. Asriel was finally let go at that point; his anime spiral eyes telling exactly how dazed he was from Starfire's affection. "With friends like them, who needs enemies?" That was when the noise wad broken up by a single "AHEM." It got quiet pretty fast as all eyes were on... "Robin!" Asriel was the first to speak his name. His narrowed eyes focused on Beast Boy and Cyborg who suddenly went into a tumble as the green changeling suddenly resumed humoid form. "Aww maaaan!" He complained. "It was just getting fun..." Cyborg pouted as Robin gestured to the portal. "Violet totally owes us money. We did the dare!" It was bad enough she got Jon and the rest of us to do dares for cash. Now she was getting our allies from off world into her mischief? "Shoooould we head home? I have a lot of reading to catch up on." "Raven. Starfire. You're both dismissed. Volt and I need to have a bit of a talk." "Whatever." Raven drifted through the portal. "It was very nice to meet you all!" Starfire waved. "Eheheh..." Asriel waved as he sweatdropped. I clicked on the door remote, closing it and making sure we had our privacy. "We meet again, Dick Grayson." He narrowed his eyes. "We know. That name doesn't leave this room." Asriel X-ed his heart and raised his hand in a solemn oath. "Good choice." "Aside from retrieving your team...what's the real reason you're here, Robin?" "Just confirming the case was closed." "On the contrary. It was re-opened." Robin crossed his arms as he drew his cape shut over top of them. He had the Dark Knight's mannerisms down pat. "Isn't this the part where you ask me to keep an eye open?" "If you're offering, Robin. It would help." I looked on. "Your team seems to be doing well. You've put together quite a network since the fall of the Brotherhood." "The Brain and his forces won't be causing problems for a long time." "But..." I looked off to the side. "...he's still out there." Asriel looked kinda lost. "Beast Boy mentioned something about him giving a bit of advice about Terra." I sighed. "It's a bittersweet thing when your worst supervillain enemy is actually right about something." Asriel was still in the dark...but he was vaguely following the clues. He could put two and two together and figure out that they had lost a friend. "Her statue was broken. But..." "I'm aware of the whole sad story, Robin. Let's not dwell on it." "Seems I'm not the only one who keeps in the loop about off world activity." "You learn about the skeletons in our closets, I learn about yours. With all due respect." Robin narrowed his eyes. But he didn't dispute me over it. Fair was fair. "Well. I guess this about ties a ribbon and a bow on everything." "Not quite everything..." Robin pointed his grappling hook at the ceiling, launched it, then yanked hard. THat was when I heard the yelp and the painful grunt. All three of us stood over the fallen form of... "Something you want to confess to, Violet?" "Eheheheh...what gave it away?" We gave her the silent treatment. "Aww, come on. Not even a hint? Guys? Anyone?" Robin turned to me and handed over a communicator that had been modified to work beyond the dimensional boundaries. "We'll be in touch." It was then he stopped by the stereo system I had running. It was playing "The Night Begins to Shine" by B.E.R. "Huh. That's kinda catchy." He said offhandedly, not looking over at the machine. Was that the briefest of smirks? I could have sworn I heard Cyborg's voice call out from the other side of the portal "Oh yeah! This is my jam!" Robin resumed his path toward the Cyber Gate. Asriel waved. Suddenly...smoke bomb. When it cleared the Cyber Gate was offline. Violet tried to sneak out the door after overriding the controls in the confusion-- "Scott free--" That was when she was grabbed by the ears. "Oww...uh...hey, Buns--" "Baka." Asriel and I just looked at each other and shrugged. After the deep speach that Robin had given the both of us, years ago, this felt kinda superficial by comparison. But then again, Robin was one who knew how to hide an agenda. I had a feeling this was just the tip of things. Maybe he knew more in his own investigation of what's going on behind the scenes than I did. For now, I put my trust in him, that the Teen Titans would be watching our backs. Sub-Entry 064: "A Little Junk Punk": "Thanks for doing this favor for me, Big Brother!" "Anything for my lil' sis." "I'm not so little anymore." "But you'll always be my lil' sis." "Hey, yeah. You're right. I never thought about that." Oh, Gadget. I looked around. "It does seem a bit much to go off world for scrap recycling, though. You sure we can't find any of this stuff on our world?" "Positive. Most of the junk on our world has already rusted or been recycled once already. Some of the things here go back to the 50's and before." Such a different a mere 30 years makes. It was cool, I guess. I knew the owner and prioprieter. He owed me a favor. But Violet was interested for another reason... "Vi, will you quit hounding him about his Pro-Wrestling career?" "Ain't no thang, dawg." Came the response of "J.Y.D.". Or as the 1980's knew him by his wrestling moniker, "the "Junk Yard Dog". African American, beaded. Wore chains around his neck, red paints, and knee-high lace-up boots. I sighed and shrugged. "Thanks again, for putting up with my crew, J.Y.D. It's rare I get to pop in on old friends from the good ole' classic days of rock n' wrestlin'." Okay I admit it. In my younger years I had a bit of wrestling fandom in my blood. "Always glad to help a brothah from anonthah mothah. Besides, they all look like they know how to git' down." "You know it!" Asriel gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, you're gettin' it. You an alright goat hombre!" With that J.Y.D. proceeded to dance to the beat of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". Asriel joined him, following the moves. "Gettin' dowwwwn wit' the daaawg. Arf!" Over yonder, Captain Lou Albano was digging into the mother of all submarine sandwiches. His open vest, oversized belly, and the rubber bands hanging from his ear lobes and tied around his bear were hard to miss. But the sandwich was even harder for Jon to resist. "Hey! Get your own!" Both of them bit into both sides of it and tried to yank the rest out of the other's mouth. "You're embarassing us, Jon." I face palmed. "Where do you want the rest of these, Dr. Arcade?" Came the very deep voice of the aptly named Andre the Giant. "Just drop em' anywhere over there." Vi said off-handed. "Vi, wait--" That was when the impossibly large, tower of junk came crashing down next to the tool shed. "Eheh...no harm no foul, right, Commander?" A moment later the entire tool shed collapsed upon itself...and then cratered. "Did I do something wrong?" The oversized Frenchman scratched his head. "Ugh..." I facepalmed. I turned to the others. "Listen...I can't thank you enough for being cool about this. When you insisted we hang around here without our human disguises, that was a real comfort, Miss Richter." Wendy Richter. Long hair, brunette, blue-ish eye shadow, pink tear-shaped sunglasses, dangling earrings. WIde purple belt around her blue outfit accentuated with linked metal hoops underneath it. Pit commented that she sort of resembled the Princess of Videoland, Lana. If but a little more punkish-looking. By her side was the one and only... "Check it out, Azzy! It's the Immortal Hulk Hogan!" "Oh yeah? That's that super-legendary WWF guy you talked a lot about." "You're not going to embarrass us with questions about Rocky 3 and Urban Commando are you?" Jon asked after swallowing half of Lou's submarine sandwich. "I was thinking of name-dropping Thunder in Paradise." "It's no problem, dude. You're always welcome around the gym and the junkyard. And that's a promise from the Hulk-ster." Yup. The blue eyes, the long blond hair, the walrus-y mustache, the white headband, the yellow tear-away shirt. Plus those bulging biceps. "Wow...he seems like a really cool guy." "Don't be shy, Azzy. Go up and say hi." Gadget encouraged as she carried a box of gears. "M-me?" Asriel had a brief moment of shyness. "C'mon. You're not nervous are you?" Asriel thought for a moment...then his eyes turned orange. Yeah. Goat son found his courage. He headed over. "Oh, you haven't met Azzy yet. Asriel, this is Hulk Hogan and Wendy Richter. Go ahead and say hi." "H-h-hi, M-Mr. Hogan." "How's it going, little goat dude?" "F-fine, sir. Aunt Vi's told me a lot about you." "You got a firm grip. Nothin' but respect little man." "Th-thanks. You have my respect, too." "Hey, Hulk. Go ahead and show him your wheels. My best friend's been learning all about cars lately so he might appreciate your awesome Cadillac." "Sure thing." Hulk led Asriel over to where the cars were parked. Gadget was more fascinated by J.Y.D.'s Junk-mobile. Pale pea-green pick-up truck with what looked like a small wood cabin mounted to the back, where the truck cap would normally be. There was a dog-shaped hood ornament. But parked next to it was that stretched, white, custom Cadillac. Convertable. The letter H on the side fins. Fine, red leather seats. And of course that recognizable hood ornament--a minature bronze bust of the Hulkster, fists raised in a body-builder's pose. "Wow." I let them get acquainted for a bit while I checked on the others. Nearbye, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was practicing his high-flying moves by using some old tires to get some extra bounce. I think Pit was intrigued. "Amazing! I did not know humans were capable of such feats of short flight. Also conversing with my crew were Hillbillie Jim and Tito Santana. I think Mitzi was more interested in the latter. Still such a teenager at heart. "I'm all for fun and games, Vi, but--" "VIolet! Did you sneak into the lab animal keep again?" Asriel chuckled. "I wasn't about to leave my wing-man behind." "You mean wing-monkey?" He laughed. "Howdy, Clyde!" The orangutan grunted then gave that silly, lip-curiling grin. "High-five." Asriel held up his hand. Clyde gladly obliged. "More fun than a barrel o' monkeys, Vi?" J.Y.D. grinned. "Just one is enough to keep things rockin'." "He's got soul, rabbit dudette!" Things were going smoothly until... "Princess!!!" "Crap! I knew I forgot to close the gateway behind me." Violet wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Immanant party-pooper arrival." I complained. Al pulled up in an older, less stylish Cadillac of his own. "This is unacceptable, Princess! Your antics have ruined this rental car." "You knew the dangers when you crossed me, Alfred. You remember what I said about unauthorized survailence." "What am I going to do? This will cost a fortune to get cleaned. I hope you're happy! This car is nothing more than scrap, now." "I don't see the problem. It's running, it's got all its doors and hubcaps. No broken tail lights, burned headlights, or cracked windshield." Asriel shrugged as he headed over. "Are you blind?! This car is in no shape to be on the road! It is far from presentable." Violet rubbed her temples. "You think this car is scrap. Do you really feel good about throwing away money for something so trivial?" Violet crossed her arms. "You of all people talk about trivial--!" "Al. This car is not scrap. Keep arguing with me and then I'll stop proving you wrong and start proving you right." Al looked aghast. "You wouldn't...!" "Clyde? Scrap the Caddie." Clyde grunted twice then shuffled over and grabbed the front fender...and ripped it off and flung it far into one of the junk piles. "Heeeey! I've been lookin' for one of those. Nice goin, monkey dude." J.Y.D. gave a thumbs-up. "No! No! NO!" Alfred Dente freaked out as Clyde continued to tear parts off the car and smash it with other junk lying around. By the time Al had fumbled around with the keys and started the car back up and driven off, a large portion of the shell had been ripped away and the engine was showing. "Byyyyyye, Allll!" Violet taunted, sing-songy as he drove back through the Cyber Gate. Laughter all around. Now you'd think that would be the end of the nasty surprises for one day. Buuuut... "...does anybody hear that?" "Ugh...if you mean that annoying music approaching, then yes." "Ugh...the number-one most annoying music instrument in the world..." Jon held his ears. "It had to be bagpipes." "I know only one nasty dude who goes around blaring that from his stereo." Hulk looked a little annoyed himself. THat was when we saw the hot rod--vaguely shaped like bagpipes pull up and the unruly dude in the "Hot Rod" T-shirt and Scottish kilt get out. "Rowdy Roddy Piper." I wrinkled my snoot. Azzy could tell I wasn't happy to see him. Next drove up an ultra low-rider dragster motorcycle. Aboard it was the bloated form of a wrestler who barely passed for a woman. Her long-sleeved, full-body outfit had a huge dollar sign on the front. In her side car rode a short Japanese man with an arrow-shaped goatee. He was wearing a suit, white gloves, and derby. "The Fabulous Moolah and Mr. Fuji." Violet recognized them. What drove up last was a huge 4x4 Monster Truck, the back of which was decorated like it rolled out of a desert caravan. "Big John Stud, the Iron Shiek and Nikolai Volkoff." Violet recognized the three cretins who disembarked. The first was certainly big but a stud...that was debatable. The second certainly owned the sheik motiff. The last certainly looked like he came in from Moscow. Yup. All of the heels of 1980's wrestling gathered in one place. "Hey, Rowdy. Looks like the circus in town. Get a load of the costume party they're holding over here." "American tourists. Phooey!" Sheik's Middle-Eastern accent was quite condescending. "I will make you all humble!" "Is good one, Comrade Sheik!" Came the response of the much bigger brute in the red outfit and fuzzy black Cossack hat. "I crush what's left for Mother Russia!" "What do YOU want, Piper?" Hogan demanded. "I'm just here to ruin your day, Hogan. Heh-heh-heh-heh." "What an annoying laugh..." Mitzi muttered, clearly turned off by the whole thing. "Hey check it out. The one in the dog suit over there. I think Albano has competition for walking trash disposal. "Excuse me?" Jonathan put down the slice of pizza from the large one that Mitzi had baked. "Easy, Jon." I held him back. "Jon? There's only one stud big and bad enough to have that name. And that John is me!" "You say stud or dud?" Mitzi sneered. "Why don't you find yourself a nice block of cheddar to drown your sorrows in?" Moolah jabbed. "I'd hid my face behind walk-around costume if I was a scrawny twig like you." "Oh you did not...!" Mitzi whirled. "Hey, get a loud of this joker in the fairy wings!" Sheik grabbed Pit by the wings from behind. "Hey! Let go!" Bunnie narrowed her eyes. "Let us not waste time with these most dishonorable fools. " Fuji twirled his evil-ish moustache. "You have much to learn about the word honor, bakayarou." Bunnie glared daggers through Fuji. "No need for such language, usagi." He countered. "Wow. I feel so intimidated by the 1/8th scale clone of Odd Job." Violet crossed her arms and wrinkled her snoot. Okay so she was exhaggering Fuji's height. Which was a double irony considering Violet wasn't exactly a person of tall stature. "Listen up, Piper! I'm not going to stand here and let you mess with our friend." "Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?" "Why don't you make like a tree and leave?" "Why don't you just make me, Hogan?!" As I watched things break down, Asriel and I found ourselves outside of the argument. "What do we do, Volt? This is starting to get ugly." I thought for a moment before I got an idea. "Simple. Use Roddy's weakness against him..." "Weakness? What weakness?" "C'mon...I saw one over in the next junk pile. Help me push it over here..." Asriel followed me before I pointed out what I was looking at. "This? How is this gonna help?" He looked confused. I didn't blame him. "It'll become clear soon enough..." I said as I pulled off the back panel and hurriedly rewired it. As soon as I finished and put the cover on, I stripped the broken plug off the cord and wrapped each wire around a hand once we got it within range. "OKay. As soon as I turn it on, choose J-5 on the selector. And as soon as I energized it, Azzy hit the switches. From out of the jukebox blared a pretty loud rock n' roll song. At that moment... "Gyeeeeeahhh!!!" Rowdy suddenly covered his ears. "I HAAAAAAAAAAAATE ROCK AND ROOOOOOOLLL!!!" He got out of Hulk's face pretty quick and dove into his Hot Rod, legs dangling out for a bit before he righted himself. As soon as he peeled out, the others looked at each other for a moment before the towering form of Andre the Giant loomed over them. "Wait for us, Rowdy!!!" Big John Stud and company piled into Sheik's vehicle while Moolah and Fuji scrambled for the motorcycle/chopper. "Everyone's a music critic." I shrugged before letting go of the wiring and letting juke box power down. Asriel and I high-fived. "Well don't let the tune stop there. It was just getting good, brother." Hogan encouraged. "Let's keep this party going." Wendy said, lowering her sunglasses. At that moment up popped the balding, tuxedo-wearing form of-- "This is "Mean" Gene Oakerland coming to you from Junk Yard's Junk Yard. Live on the scene we have Hulk Hogan. Hulk, can you tell us what is happening in Behind-the-Scenes Superstar Life?" "Well y'know, Mean Gene, we're always extending a welcome to out-of-towners. We got some friends in town who are uh--" "Going to a costume and makeup artist convention. They're professional make-up artists and costume designers for a really big movie studio." Wendy cut in. "Yeah. Tokugawa Films Incorporated...in Edoropia!" Violet followed up. "Besides being the studio C.E.O. and a budding producer AND director, I'm also a cast member in our next big budget flick." "That is absolutely amazing, Miss Tokugawa. Your hair and make-up look so real! I would almost believe you're real talking animals." Asriel just grinned sheepishly. "Like this one over here. Amazing detail! What is your name, son?" "Asriel! Asriel Dreemurr-Arcade." "Asriel. That's a rather unusual name." "Well take it from me, Mr. Oakerland. I'm...As-riel as it gets!" Asriel spread his arms out with a "Ta-dah!" like open smile. "And such a sense of humor." I owe you guys so much for covering for us. For the rest of the day we partied down in the Junk Yard before calling it a day and hauling Gadget's stuff back to Miranda City. Sub-Entry 065: "The Child of the Sun Flies Again": Asriel had settled into his routine pretty well by this point. So much so that he had gotten ahead in his school work and such, leaving a lot of free time to spend with us. I never intended for him to become an overachiever, but I wasn't going to complain about it. Just as long as he didn't become a workaholic. I'd been given a pass by the family and friends on far too many instances of being such. For a time, we had a surplus of things to do and activities for bonding experiences. From the low-key of an autumn hay ride to the high energy huzzah of Sally dropping in to take Asriel to the Renaissance Fair. It was only inevitable Asriel would find free time but no ideas on how to spend it. "Sorry, kiddo. Still don't get bored. Don't have any ideas. I guess I can't really help in this situation." "Yeah...guess this was a long time coming." The dreaded day where you feel like you've seen it, heard it, eaten it, done it all. "Makes me kinda wish that gem from that one movie existed." "Oh. The crystal from Explorers." "The stuff that dreams are made of." "Heh." I would never admit to Violet, that was a reference I didn't mind. Heck. It was a reference making a reference...so...a little bit of meta there. "Sure wouldn't mind flying over a giant circuit board with the allure of endless possibility fueling my dreams, Asriel." A moment of silence. "Wait...flying.." Asriel suddenly looked like he had an idea. "Asriel?" "I might have an idea. Gather up anyone who wants to come with and meet me at the museum. I have to head home and dig something out." "Uhh...okay." I scratched my head. Sure enough I had forgotten all about it. I went around the UCIAT to gather volunteers. Asriel headed home. "Hi, mom! Hi, pop! Can't stay long. Meeting up with the others." "Okay, dear. Don't stay out to late." "Have fun, champ." Asriel entered his room and rooted through drawers, cabinets and the closet. "Where did I put it...?" Asriel frowned a moment. "I don't wear it all the time because it gets uncomfortable wearing wiit with my locket. Plus it gets heavy." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "Help me out here, Chara. Where would I have put that thing?" He looked over at the holder with Chara's locket still in it. "Hmm?" A momentary glint from the locket reflected in the mirror. But where it overlapped... "Of course!" Asriel headed over to the hanging picture frame on the wall. A framed photo of a selfie that Violet had taken of us after our impromptu song and dance in the streets done to Billy Joel's "Why Should I Worry". He pulled it off and opened the compartment built into the back and fished out the golden medallion of Esteban. "Man. How did I forget about this?" Asriel hung it around his neck. "I hope I'm still worthy of this, Esteban." Asriel pulled out his NX Board and headed out. "Bye, mom! Bye, pop! Love you both!" "Bye, Asriel!" "Stay safe!" Asriel hopped on the board and took off. Later at the museum... "First one here." He shrugged. "Yo." I backflipped off the power lines. "I'm here. Violet gives her regards but she's a bit busy in the server core at Computer Valhalla. But she lent us Kokapetl. I produced the artificial parrot. Gyro and I had made his body pretty lifelike. Violet took a few liberties with his A.I." "Hi, Azzy!" Gadget waved as she came to a stop and unlocked the roll-cage of her Gyro Mobile. "This brings back memories." Bunnie landed her ninja kite suit and quick-changed into every day wear. Honestly...it was a rare thing to see Bunnie not in ninja outfit or karate attire. "What? I can't dress casual?" She said with a sly smirk moments before Suzuka dropped in from above and changed to her five-tailed fox form, landing on Bunnie's shoulder. Bunnie muffled a chuckle before patting the kitsune on the head. That was when Skeeter showed up. "Rotor says I gotta spend less time in the house in front of the TV." "Don't look so glum. We're going for a ride." "Joy. I can't imagine what kind of ride we can get out of a dusty old museum." Skeeter crossed his arms. "Oh ye of little faith..." I mused. "You still got it, Azzy?" "Right here." He pulled the medallion out. We went in. I showed my I.D. and signed the security log. "Just takin' her out for a spin. Go ahead and treat yourself to a good lunch on the company. We'll pick up the tab. You know where to send the bill." I was in a giving mood. We found our way to the right exhibit room. "Everything is right where you left it..." Yup. That song was becomming a lot more relevant than I would have believed five years ago. "Uhhhhh..." "Open mouth, insert foot." Suzuka snickered. "Go chase a rabbit, fuzzball." Skeeter crossed his arms. "Alright got one." Suzuka nuzzled up to Bunnie. "Patience is..." Bunnie started. "The jewel on the crown of wisdom." Asriel finished as his eyes turned cyan. "Ugh." Skeeter moaned. "This is going to be so much fun! Thank you, Asriel!" Gadget tacklehugged him. "Any time, big sis." We all climbed up the ladder into the cockpit...some with considerably more trouble than others. "So how we gonna get this--" "Done." I clicked on the remote and opened the sky hatch; the whole ceiling practically splitting the entire dome open. In fact, the whole top of this wing of the building quadrsected, allowing plenty of wing space. "Let the sun shine in." Asriel inserted the medallion. WIth that the medallion lit up with stripes of rainbow color that crawled down the surface of the metal. On each side of the socket, a stripe of chaser lights light up moments before the windshield slid up and sealed us in. Underneath the feet reatracted. The bent wings snapped into place. Lastly the head raised up, sealing over top of the canopy, leaving just enough of the glass for all of us to see out from. The entire golden machine lit up with a bright glow, tinted with a light neon turquoise color. I could feel a strange magnetic, gravitonic resonance within. What was this ancient technology? Was this proof of Lemurianopia? "Our flight's leaving." Asriel gripped the cobra-shaped control stick. And soon. "Wooooow." Gadget peered out. "Makes me wonder why I ever forgot we had this." "We also have the Solaris docked at Drew's port so...we could take a cruise some time." I reminded. "Okay. I'll admit. This was pretty cool." Skeeter conceded. "I'm going where no fox spirit has gone before!" Suzuka watched from her perch on Bunnie's head. Bunnie smiled. "What do you think, Kokapetl?" I asked. "No bird should fly this high! It scares me stiff! Awwwk!" We all laughed. For the duration of the day as long as the sun lasted, we flew the skies with no destination in mind. We went wherever the wind took us. We did probably confuse air traffic control over a few air spaces close to the airport. "We really gotta do this again some time." "Maybe Aunt Sally can join us next time." "Yeah. But we're not inviting Ripper. He'll insist on flying." "Amaterasu's Light, no." Bunnie grmmaced. "We'll keep airborn just a bit more. But then I have to head home for dinner." "Cool, Azzy. Cool." Asriel kept the flight going as we flew off toward the setting sun. He was still the Child of the Sun and proud of it. And we were proud of him. Sub-Entry 066: "It Came From Melmac...and Now It Won't Leave": It was way late into the night when the silent alarm for the labs woke me in the shop. "What the...*grumble*..." I climbed out of my cot and hastily got dressed and exited the shop. "Of all the inconvinient...!" I shoved my hands in my lab coat pockets and headed to UCIAT HQ. I opened the door with my ID access card and headed in. No one at the receptionist desk. Lights were out. Afterhours meant after...hours. I took the elevator down and passed the security gates. With the exception of the computer quadumverate and core systems, all the equipment was off. I checked the app on my T.A.O. link for the source of the alarm. I continued on my way and navigated the corridors, walkways, and tunnels between quadrants and sub-labs. The dead silence coupled with the sterile smell neither put me on edge nor put me at ease. I figured if I tackled this nonchallantly, I wouldn't be taken by surprise and be unprepared for whatever was waiting up ahead. It was like navigating a maze. Had our operation really expanded this much? "Whoever's down here better have a good excuse. A really, REALLY good excuse." I rounded the bend-- "AAAAAAAHHHH!" "AUUUUGHHHHH!" ...okay, so I was wrong. I was completely taken by surprise and unprepared for what was waiting ahead." "Asriel?!" "Volt?" "You're the cause of the alarm?" "N-no. I just came here to get my NX board. I left a report for school in its onboard computer. Security will verify my lab access. The alarm went off after I left the charging bay room." Asriel compressed the NX board down to tablet size and brought up his school work on screen. Nope. Goat son wouldn't have set off the alarm. "Then if you aren't the intruder..?" "Then who is?" We followed the signal to one of the auxilliary labs. "Wait...didn't Aunt Violet rebuild this lab into a personal quarters--" "She did what?" I turned to Asriel. "Ohhhhhhh...suddenly I'm getting the impression that was meant to be a secret." I sighed. "What did she put in there?" "Additional supplies for Computer Valhalla, a pantry, small kitchen area, sleeping arrangements, entertainment center." "......" "She's in deep whatsit?" "Oh yes." I opened the door. "Okay, Violet. Enough burning the midnight hours--" "Keep it down. Some of us are trying to watch classic episodes of Leno. For the record, the fridge stocking leaves something to be desired." "That's...not Violet." Asriel took a step back. "Who..or what is that..?" "Alf." "Escuse me?" "A.L.F. Alien Life Form. But I know him by another name." I turned on the lights to reveal the short, brown, furred, creature with a rippled snout like an ardvark and ears that fell somewhere between canine and feeline. "Ah! You old son-of-a-Galvan. it's been...at least the 80's since I saw you." "Gordon." "Gordon?" Asriel questioned. "Gordon Shumway of Melmac. A long time ago in the 80's his ship crash landed in the house of some people on one of the many Earth AU's out there. He lived with them for years in secret." "So he set off the alarm?" "Yes...and no." He looked up. "K-k-keep him away from me!" I knew that voice. "Felicia?" There was our cat woman, digging in her claws into the lighting fixtures. "Shame on you for keeping an entire Thanksgiving dinner down here all to yourself. I would have gladly saved you the wishbone." "What is he talking about?" "Uhh..." "Wait." Asriel suddenly turned to me. "Does he...eat...cats?" "It's a delicassy on my planet. Ranks right up there with Slimeball McNuggets. You should try the ones with the goopy centers. Just like mom used to make." I face-palmed. "So...where is his home planet?" "Melmac is...was located six parsecs past the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, and had a green sky, blue grass and a purple sun." "Wait...you're speaking in past tense--" Asriel suddenly turned teary-eyed. "Please. Save the waterworks. It's contageous." "Yup." I nodded. "Seems Kal El isn't the only alien whose home world was blown to pieces. In ALF's case...nuclear war." So what else could I tell you about our apparent freeloader? Born on October 28, 1756, on the Lower East Side of the planet Melmac. Appetite as big as Jon's. Troublesome, sarcastic, slovenly and cynical, and sometimes puts himself at the risk of being discovered while perpetrating some of his often-unintentional pranks. Just ask the Tanner family. According to my last database update, Gordon had at least 30 known relatives. Cousins "Pretty Boy" Shumway and Blinky. A pair of uncles, Tinkle and Goome. Grandma Shumway. A brother, Curtis. His parents Bob and Flo Shumway. Oh, and aunts Bubba, Wagner and Eugene. "Don't keep me in the dark, Vee. You keeping unprepared feasts in your lab and livestock, too?" Felicia let out an angry yowl as she hung from the lighting fixture. "Huh?" Asriel blinked. Then he pointed to himself. "He catches on quick." "Your manners sure haven't changed much, Gordon." I rolled my eyes. "Gordon Shumway, Asriel Tobias Dreemurr-Arcade. And he's not livestock. He's a friend. A best friend." "And I thought Earth had strange customs." "Uh...pleased to meet you." "You're not going to ask if you can pet me, are you? Because if you are, keep it above the waist. I'm pretty sure that's a universal rule of personal space." "Uh...only if you want me to. I could say the same thing." I shrugged and shook my head. "Dropping in on us unannounced? You didn't get thrown out of the house for trying to flush Willie's antique beer can collection down the toilet again?" "It was an honest mistake. You do one little thing and you're marked for life!" "So what's the deal, Gordon? Why'd you come all the way here?" "They really should put warning labels on the inside of space ship engines. One minute you're tinkerking around in it. The next minute you've torn a hole in time and space and found yourself in the lower labs of someone you haven't been in contact with for 3 decades. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to mess around under the hood, considering I'm not a certified mechanic." "Good advice." I rolled my eyes. "So how long have you been hanging around our lab, eating Violet's food and using her resources?" "What's the date today?" "We're deep into October." "I'd say...about the last 4 or 5 years." "F...F...FOUR OR FIVE YEARS?!" "I'm good at keeping out of sight. I had the practice around the Ochmoniks." Oh boy. "I guess Violet has been missing some wares and run up the power and lighting bill. But she'd never admit to it without spilling the beans that she even has this area in the first place." Asriel looked to me. "I guess we should send you home...or at least back to the Tanner residence." "Home? Back to before almost a 1000 channels of cable TV, Dipping Dots, HD video games, and that thing you call the internet?" "Uh-huh." "Let's not get hasty. I have about another couple seasons of the Walking Dead and Game of Thrones still on the TiVo." "Greeeeeat. Now I'm going to have to bust out the neurarlizer." "If that's anything like Milk of Amnesia, I'd like to consider my other options." I opened the portal. "No goodbye kiss?" "Mr. Shumway. It was nice to meet you. Goodbye!" Azzy's words echoed Asgore's just before his battle. "I just have one question." "Shoot." "Where's that laughter and applause coming from?" We both looked around the room, seeing no one but Felicia. "Wish I had an answer. It always follows me around whenever something funny or out of the ordinary happens." Oh yeah. I forgot. Another theoretical fourth wall event. Honestly where do these kind of worlds come from? "Weird." Asriel scratched his head. "You sure I can't change your mind? I'm very low maintenance and I'm sure I can make the rent. You take lint, gravel and foam, right?" "The currency around here is copper pieces, silver pieces, and gold pieces." "Eeesh. I'm offering you prime Melmac valuables here and you want scrap from my space ship? This planet has too much in common with Earth. Your loss!" "We'll...cope." I rubbed my temples. "So I guess you don't want me spreading around what I've seen around here?" "If you would be so kind." "No problem! I'll just wait for it to come to earth. Another 3 or 4 decades shouldn't be too long. Those 122 years in high school just flew right by." "Yeah, 100 of those years will go by before you know it." Azzy rubbed the back of his head. "Do tell. You don't look a day over 115." "Uh. One hundred sixteen actually." "I was close. Cute kid by the way, Doc. Make sure you're feeding him the best garbage." "Why does everyone keep thinking that I'll eat anything?" I didn't feel like explaining that normal goats really would eat anything. "Stay out of trouble, Gordon. And if you're going to visit, at least drop us a line." "I tried doing that once. But Willie got mad that I messed up his tacklebox." Ugh. "Kidding. Kidding. As soon as I figure out how to get a shortwave radio message through the time barrier, I'll phone you. They do still have collect calls in this time period, right?" Well. I better get ready to accept any phone charges in the future. "Good-bye, ALF!" Azzy waved as the furry alien waddled though the portal before it closed. "Let's go home and get back to bed. You're mom's going to yell at me letting you stay out this late." "Eheheh...yeah, we better scoot." And that was that. Sub-Entry 067: "TRHPS, Take 2": Five years later. That phrase is really gonna wear out at this rate. Let's just get to the point. Half a decade ago, Violet pulled a stunt goat son was not ready for. Now that he was older, I was still hesitant to let him be exposed to the B-movie classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was time to let go. He was a teen. Violet had made it a tradition. While some of us like Bunnie, Lupe, and Pit prefered to stay away. Others like Violet (obviously), Jon, and Sally were know to sit in. Sometimes take part. "Don't worry about it. If it gets uncomfortable or anything, I'll just subtly sneak out of the theater." "If you're sure, Azzy." We reached the place Violet had rented for Computer Valhalla's theatre troupe to put on their showing of TRHPS. It looked like a crowd had already gathered. "Uh..." I looked a little unsure at the ones that decide to come in full cosplay. "I don't suppose I want an answer to why everyone's got toilet paper, squirt guns, and other things. Won't that be disruptive to the show?" "Azzy...this isn't your average show." Asriel looked over his shoulder where Mina Scalnistro was clad in a gold sequined swallow-tail coat and matching top-hat. Asriel and I hadn't seen her in a while. He'd first met her that fateful day, five years ago... "...I'm...starting to get that." He said with a sweatdrop. "There's...a lot of fishnet stockings going around." "Yup." I acknowledged, rather nonchalantly. What was it about this particular show that made me think that there was no question that Mettaton would absolutely eat this up. I think TRHPS was the play/movie that coined the term "glam rock". Did I need to explain any further? Huh...Mettaton EX in fishnets.......oh boy. Not getting that image out of my head any time soon. Signs of life began as we entered the theater and got our popcorn, snacks, and drinks and such. "Uh...are people...expecting rain indoors?" "Ah. So you noticed the umbrellas, Azzy. It'll make sense soon enough." "Annnnd...the squirt guns...toilet paper, toast, hot dogs, and rice?" Asriel's skepticism bordered on discomfort. I could tell he was conflicted about what it all implied about everyone's impending behavior. I described it as a straight-A student observing after-school detention as a social project only to get far more than what he bargained for. "Just keep an open mind. I'm sure trying to." I shrugged. What an example I'm leading by, huh? A half-decade ago I dreaded the day I'd have to explain this. Well. That day was now. "So...what's the story with this? I mean...I'm a little dubious if Aunt Violet has this much of an interest in it." I tried to keep the whole "parallel universe theory of simultaneity" to a minimum. There were a lot of people, places, events and such that were universal across many universes; including ours. From Elvis to Michael Jackson VGM-098 managed to get more than a couple fist-fulls of things that coincided with Earth Prime. "Well, written in 1973 by Richard O'Brien, it was a tongue-in-cheek love-letter to the science fiction spanning between the 1940's to the 1970's in a mashup satirical fusion of the unintentional humor of B-movies, the portentious dialogue of schlock-horror, Steve Reeves muscle flicks, and 1950's era Rock N' Roll." "Okay. That's a mouthful. But I think I follow that much. So...what's it about?" "Okay. Narrated by a criminologist, it tells the curious tale of a newly engaged couple who are caught in the rain--one stormy November evening near Denton, Ohio (don't ask where that is, Goat Son) after their car gets a flat tire while en route to visit their old high school science teacher where the first met during an exam." "Check. Go on." "They go for help, knocking on the door of a spooky old "Frankenstein Place" castle where they discover a group of outlandish people holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They're swept up into the surreal world where lust meets science at the whims of Dr. Frank N. Furter from...er..." I whispered in Asriel's ear. He immediately blushed hard enough to actually tint his facial fur pinkish. He didn't wrap his ears around his face so...he was handling it better than I expected. Funny. You'd think he'd remember the question he asked five years ago that I shut him down on. "...Dr. Frank N. Furter brings them to his...her...their lab and proclaims they've discovered the secret to life itself and uses that "spark" to bring to life their creation--a perfect alpha-male "muscle man" named Rocky Horror. From there tongue-in-cheek hijinx ensues, further complicated by the arrival of Dr. Everett Scott, investigating the disappearance of his nephew, Eddie." "I think I got all that. So...it's like one of those movies we see on Bad Movie Stream Night?" "I'd call this THE movie to show on Bad Movie Stream Night. Whatever you see, take it with a grain of salt. And try not to get bent out of shape by the misbehaving." I warned as we took our seats right as one of Violet's troupe, playing the part of the movie usher, Trixie started up her rendition of "Science Fiction Double Feature". Azzy seemed to relax after that, lulled by the seemingly tame ballad, making plenty of callbacks to the various B-movies the VARS sisters streamed over the years; from Doctor X to Forbidden Planet, The Day of the Triffids to When Worlds Colllide. It opened up pretty innocent enough. I think Asriel was rather invested in the initially clean-cut imagery of the standard musical progression. The tropes he'd come to recognize from family friendlies like productions of Peter Pan and Mary Poppins to the Sound of Music and Guys and Dolls. It didn't take long for the misbehaving. The first bomb dropped sure turned Azzy's head. "Wh-why would they call him that?" Followed up by the next obscenity which made him blush. "Buckle up. We're in for a ride." And of course the infamous newspaper-over-the-head which earned a cry of "Buy an umbrella, you cheap B--(FLOWEY CACKLE)!!!" The umbrellas came out. Regretting your decision yet, Asriel? I think it was right at the moment the Time Warp began that Asriel could tell the tone was about to shift drastically. I noticed a lot of familiar faces in the audience participation. "Hmm. I see Violet went with the 2016 update." I'd noticed a lot of things had been contemporized and revised. Yup. This wasn't the Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, and Richard O'Brian version. This was the remix done by Reeve Carney, Christina Millian, and Annaleigh Ashford. "I think I actually remember this song." Asriel was clearly on edge but not freaking out. That would probably come later. For now...we'd have a rockin' good time and pick out a few familiar faces among the cast. "Go, Jon." I smirked. I'd pick out others such as Sashay the Disco Skunk and even our own Mitzi. Even Dr. Stokes make an appearance as the Criminologist. I'm pretty sure Red had something to do with him not getting the part of Dr. Everett Scott. I wouldn't if it meant seeing him in that scene near the end with the RKO radio tower and the swimming pool. But I guess what we weren't prepared for was-- "A-Aunt V-Vi?" Yup. She was our Frank N. Furter. Why was I not surprised? It was quite an interesting ride with familiar faces such as Ripper playing the part of Eddie (even down to the motorcycle and tenor saxophone. It definitely left us quivering with anticipa-- "SAY IT!" The audience shouted, making Azzy jump. --pation. The show rolled on with Asriel having a few near freakouts but otherwise handling it a lot better than he would have at the age of 10......110, rather. I really gotta stop counting his time in the Core. Oh boy. By the time it ended, by the time all the rice and hot dogs and toilet paper had been thrown... "That was......um...something." "Duuuuude! That was the best thing ever!" Skeeter passed by us on his way out. Violet met us on the way out, having snuck out from back stage to mingle. "Tell me, Cinnamon Roll. Were you dazzled? Or SUPER-dazzled?" "Well--" "Ah, what are you being shy for. C'mere!" Vi pulled him into a hug. Azzy flailed. "Aunt Viiiiii!" He protested, blushing. "Dammit, Vi. Couldn't you have at LEAST gotten out of costume. You're embarassing Goat Son." "I know, right? You're totally speechless with how we killed it?" "Oh boy..." I muttered. "I'm glad you had fun, Vi. Because you know Bunnie's going to have your karma ready and waiting as well as more than a few frowny faces." "Let me have my fun. You'll thank me." So he we were. Crawling on the planet's face...some insects...each of various humanoid race. Lost in time. Lost in space. And meaning... (Meeeeeaaniiiiiiiing....) Sub-Entry 068: "Mina and the Count": One of these days, I'm going to stop walking into Violet's old references. I probably could have gone into infinity without knowing what cartoon, movie, game, or comic she lifted it from. For the record I name this entry as such out of protest (and because I lost the bet). I digress. Life goes on in Miranda City, while Bunnie and I discussed my plan and strategy for returning to the Underground to tackle the Waterfall area. Asriel spent more of his free time reconnecting with friends, past-times, and such that he hadn't gotten a chance to spend time with. Unbeknownst to him he was about to have a reunion with someone who hadn't seen in too long. While I was about to have a reunion with someone I hadn't seen in not nearly long enough... "Mmm. This stand always has the best hot dogs." "You said it, Azzy. There's just something perfect about frankfurters boiled to perfection and then topped with cheese and yellow mustard." "Don't tell Aunt Sally?" Azzy mused. "Not unless you want to get the speech about what they're made of. Advice to live by: ignorance is bliss." Lips and garbage/fat meat/a-holes. Yeah. That's just what she'd say. Then we'd all lose our appetites. "I've had a couple experiences which seem to prove that." "You don't have to share if you don't want to." "Thanks. I hope you don't mind?" "Hey, as many secrets as I'm still keep from you, I have no right to complain." Asriel sighed a little. "It's for my own good. I'll ask when I'm good and ready." "I'll tell when you're good and ready." A fist-bump sealed the deal. With the Underground back and me coming to the defense of the Boss Monsters? This promise had become more relevant again. We finished our lunch and wandered the park. I was starting to to see the leaves change colors. Goodbye, summer. Hello, autumn. It was about that time. "Asriel! Help!" "Huh? What?" Asriel whirled in time to see her headed his way. "Hey...isn't that...?" I started before the young lady ducked behind Azzy. "Howdy--" He started. "--Mina." Yup. It was the daughter of the alchemist, Tina and the late vampire, Masa. "Been a long time." Asriel was still a little off guard and confused. "Long time no see, Mina. What's up?" "You...called for help. What's the problem?" "The problem is THIS GUY!" Mina pointed at the blond-haired man in a brown suit and an undone bow-tie who looked like he hadn't bathed, shaved, or gone to a tailor in a while. "Oh no..." I muttered. "This guy bugging you?" Asriel asked. "Please! Just a moment of your time, a few GP to get back on my feet, maybe accept my random marriage proposal so I can--" "Dammit, Jack." "You know this guy?" I placed my knuckles on my hips. "What are you doing off world?" I glared. "Who is this weird human?" Azzy scratched his head. I took a deep breath and sighed. "Count Jack Zap. Heir to a noble family that lost its fortune. Formerly of the cyber-crime organization, World Three and operator of ElecMan.EXE." "Wait...that custom lamp you have rigged up?" "You've reduced my precious NetNavi into a common table lamp?" I folded my arms and deadpanned. "...uhh..." "Something you want to share, Jack?" He tugged at his collar. "I know about the divorce." I said plainly. "You're no longer ElecMan.EXE's operator." That's when he dropped to his knees and broke down in tears. "Wow. She even took your Personal Terminal." Never let it be said that Ann Zap didn't lay down the law when her husband got sent to jail for his WWW crimes. "Seriously, Jack. You're giving electricity a bad name." I helped him up, straightened his behind-the-head style headphones, and retied his bowtie. "Jeeze. When was the last time this even worked?" I flicked one of the conspicuous light bulbs on his suit. It and the other lights and display on his suit flickered and glowed briefly before sputtering out. "Man. I don't know who you disappointed more. Ann or your late mother. And really. Trying to marry into a good life just to spite your ex? Let me list the number of things you screwed up on. One, that's tacky as Hell. Two, even if you succeded, you wouldn't have as good a life as you think you'd be in for. Not everyone had the scope of your family fortune when it still existed. And three...mind you, this miiiiiiiiiiight be the most important of all..." I took a deep breath and shouted. "SHE'S UNDERAGE, YOU DIM-BULB!" That made him sniffle and blubber louder. "You had so much potential but you threw it away for a life of crime in Wily's organization." While I had a chance to attempt a patch job on DenTech City's most pathetic fixer-upper, Azzy got reacquainted with Mina. "So. Uh." "Yeah." A long pause between the two of them. "I'm still grateful you came to my aid back then." Mina responded. "It was the right thing to do. You were in trouble so..." Asriel's eyes turned yellow. Justice. "I just really don't like bullies." "I know it's been a long time but...we're still friends, right?" "Of course we are." "I...bet a lot of people thout we were going to be...you know..dating by now." Azzy hesitated for a moment at the dreaded d-word. But he recovered, understanding what she was getting at. "Yeah...but..." "We don't feel that way about each other, do we?" Mina looked a little said. "You've always felt more like family." Asriel noded as his eyes faded back to default. "It's okay. We'll both find someone some day." He offered. Truthfully he was still too shy around girls. There was no shame in being a late bloomer. "Yeah." A pause. "By the way. I hadn't noticed your new look. Very nice." "You like it? It's fashionable and protects me from the sun. What do you think?" She tipped the black fedora and cape. "Yeeeeeeah." Violet popped up. "Totally not vampire cliche or anything." "Aunt Vi! That's not polite!" "Uh...hey, Princess Violet. I suppose I'd be asking for trouble if I asked how I look?" "Digging your Darkwing Duck cosplay." A sigh. "Walked into that one." "You would have prefered "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man? Only the Shadow knows...?" "Aunt Vi, staaaaaahp!" "It's okay. I've heard em' all." Mina crossed her arms. "Okay one more. You've been asked to be Cyber Six's stunt double for when they reboot the series." "Wow, Vi. That reference wasn't dated or anything." I muttered as I sent Jack Zap off back through the portal to ACDC Town." "Well. If you'd like to hang with us a bit, that would be cool." "Sure. You can help me double-team messing with Vi." "Hey, I mess with, I don't get messed with." "First time for everything..." "Actually, Vi's forgetting when we Melvined her after the Battle Network simulation five years ago." "Hey!" "This just became a three-on-one handicap, Lady Tokugawa." "What was it you said all those years ago, Aunt Vi? Oh yeah....geeeeeet dunked onnnnn..." As much as I want to savor the moment, this seems like a good place to leave off. Sub-Entry 069: "Halloween 2. Mr. Meyers Is Not Invited": That time again. Sure not complaining. By now Asriel understood a little better and I better understood his limits. I was less worried about scaring or offending him. But I still wondered if decorating with skeletons and such was "offensive to his people". I'm sure Sans and Papyrus would have...questions. But then again...they'd probably really enjoy Cinco de Mayo and Dia de Los Muertos in some of the various incarnations of Mexico. I'd almost want to invite them to Rex's world if it weren't for the veeeeery slight nanite problem. I did not want to find out what nanites would do to monster bodies. Besides. One step at a time. I was still a long way from reaching that point. FIgure out what was with Frisk, first. Get that happy ending. Bring them to the surface. Let them adjust to the outside world before even thinking about bringing our worlds together. But most importantly... I had an arch-nemesis out there I had to put the kabosh on. As long as the Cult of Chaopolis existed, I knew they were going to come for us again. I knew they were probably already interfering with the Timeline, too. I just had to unravel it all before then. For now...place worries aside. It was time to celebrate the Festival of Sam Hain. But of course old pumpkin-head wasn't invited. Nor were a number of other nightmares and sadistic slashers. Chances were that Violet would still find a way to incorporate them. Oh yeah. A Happy Birthday to Jonathan Lawrence Talbain. Still his favorite holiday. I guess I got the unlucky draw this year so Vi picked my costume. At least she was kind this time. "Kung Fury, huh? Explain to me again?" "Awesome love letter to the 1980's my good man. An ordinary cop loses his partner when tracking down a kung fu criminal. In a freak accident he was struck by lightning...and bitten by a cobra. It turned him into some kind of kung fu freak of nature. Now he's on the case of his life to track down the deadliest criminal of all time--Hitler. To do it he must time travel back to face his nemisis and--" "That's...enough description. I get it. So what did you dig out of the closet, Vi? "Say Hello to Lady Legasus!" "Uh...didn't you already cosplay as Raven. Which I'm glad never got back to Rachel or you'd have a demonic hex put on you faster than you can say "Azarath Metrion Zinthos"." "No, no. This is totally different. You know. Lady Legasus. The founder of the League of Legs? No? Thunder Thighs? The Incredible Quad? The Calf? Captain Cankle? Huh..." I just facepalmed. "I feel like it's an excuse for you to make foot jokes and puns. "I got a leg up on those." "...and Asriel not here yet to join in the pun fun." "What? You saying my puns are a 'stretch'? I 'bend' over backwards to 'flex' up a funny. When a good comic gets a bit of criticism, they can't 'curl' up and die on stage. They got to 'kick' it like it's leg day all day. It's not like I 'squat' down and squeeze out--" *THWAP* "Thank you, Bunnie." "She took it too far." the Major said rather unapologetically. "So. What costume are you gracing us with? "Ashi. Samurai Jack." "Ah. The Daughter of Aku gone good only to meet a tragic end." "Proof that a person isn't confined to fate if they fight strong enough to change their destiny." "A more dignified choice than Jenny Hops. We know Violet suggested it strictly for furry fandom reasons and not because she liked the movie. Listen to you throw around the Sisters' names so casually. You know that could bite you in the behind if they're tempted enough." "I'll take my chances." Bunnie mused. "Speaking of Asriel, where is he? I figured he'd show up first." "Well...he is growing up. Maybe he's outgrowing this phase of his life." "Nah. It's nothing like that. He's just helping Antoine get his costume together. You know he might actually have a cool one this year." "Antoine? Look cool? The world is coming to an end." Violet knucklebumped Sally as she came in as Enid from OK, K.O., Let's Be Heroes. "Hi, guys! Sorry we're late!" "Azzy! There's no designated time for this party. It goes all night long!" "I figured Trunks was a good way to go. Gotta appreciate the old school anime, right?" "Well I'm relieved you didn't come as Saitama." "Believe me, Volt, you do NOT want to look at what a shaved goat looks like. I'm not sure I want to know!" Laughter among us. Good one, Azzy. "Besides. For that to happen I would have had to lose one of her bets." "Without further ado, I present the new improved Antoine in his alter ego..." Asriel attempted a drurmroll. "Bonjou! I am 'otto 'roddo." Antoine waddled out in his robotic costume. An Autobot, definitely. But which one?" "Huh?" "Otto' rodoo!" Violet and I looked at each other and shrugged. "He said his name is "Hot Rod"." Bunnie deadpanned. "Ohhh! From the Last Knight!" "I weell stohp zee' time!" "You go, Rodimus dude." Asriel fistpumped. "...I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it." Sally blinked. "Pit should be arriving any minute." Asriel assured. And low and behold, the angel of the hour dropped in. "Ooh! Captain Tohru Hitsugaia. Nice choice." Bunnie mused. "And using his Bankai, no less. Guren Hyourinmaru. Nice use of the ice effect on your wings." I complimented. "Glad you talk Violet out of picking Morty Smith for him." I muttered to Asriel. "An every-expanding club there, best friend." It was shaping up to be a good night and nary a sign of a mishap. You know after all this time, Asriel hadn't asked about the infamous faus pax that involved Chameleon, Valkyrie, and Lady Brooke. Still was avoiding it, but if it came out, Azzy was old enough to take it. "Hey there's Mitzi, Foxy, and Sashay." "Mitzi as Hippolyta from Wonder Woman. Foxy came as Maid Marian from Disney's Robin Hood. Very fitting. And there was Sashay as a female Harlem Globetrotter. Who knew she could spin a basketball? "There's the man of the hour! Jon Talbain, my main lycan!" "You mean Drax of the Guardians of the Galaxy!" "Nice. Nice." "So show me the pumpkin pies and candy spread. I'm ready to binge!" "Enjoy your big day, big man." Asriel pet him gently. He seemed to like that. Jon, if you weren't my son-in-law, I'd give you such frowny faces for such Doggo/Dogamy/Dogaressa behavior. Over yonder, Lupe Lycans came as Serval from Kemono Friends. Seemed like an appropriate fit. Honey came as Alice from Bendy and the Ink Machine. I thought I saw Dr. Stokes as old man Joseph Joestar. Not a bad choice, especially with the bionic arm. Rotor as Shirohara from Tokyo Ghoul. Eh. He worked with what he had. I saw Hojicha scamper about as a Boo Diddly from Super Mario Bros. 3. There was Vi's father, Emperor Fred as Majin Buu. While I could go on naming names and costumes, this sub-entry would get too long and boring. It was about that time Asriel and I overheard Chameleon in an argument with Verlaine's daughter, Valerie. A.K.A. Ripper's main squeeze. On a dare, she came as Aisha from Outlaw Star. "Ripper and I've got plans. When you gonna let him off the leash, 'Warden'?" "Absolutely not. Ripper is grounded. The more I keep him away from you and vice-versa, the less will come out of my pockets to cover the E.R.R.O.R. team when they make repairs around here." Chameleon as Meta-Ridley. He'd come as regular RIdley in the past so...it techically didn't count as a repeat...did it? Then again...Scott would show up to every single Halloween as Inuyasha. Speaking of, there he was as Inuyasha while every girl in town fawned over his dog ears...at least until Callista made the scene as Terrible Tornado from One-Punch Man. "You wouldn't want me to take this up with Brooke, now would you?" "Queen Brooke? Mr. Chameleon, I think you should let it go...that's playing with fire." "Chameleon's crossed Queen Brooke several times before. Did you ever wonder why he never wants to talk about..."the De Midian Assignment"?" "You wouldn't dare, Valerie." He leaned in close. "Well the choice of being contracted for an assignment in a country full of undead to a firing squad for breaing into the Royal Vaults doesn't even compare to the Halloween incident." "Are you seriously blackmailing me into prematurely ending Ripper's punishment so you two can date?" "Asriel..." "What are you doing?" "Did you know that Chameleon bet that Brooke wasn't as...endowed as she appeared?" That...caught Asriel off guard. Oh boy. I expected this from Violet, not from Valerie. "So Brooke gave permission for his wife, Jennifer, to put that to the test." "What do you mean.......ohhhhh." Asriel definitely had that deer-in-headlights look. "Wait, this started when Chameleon suggested Queen Brooke was using magic to um...er...enhance her...physique?" "Yup. Chameleon was being full of himself so took matters into...his own hands..." "Mr. Chameleon......you DIDN'T..." Azzy cringed. "He totally did. Squish-squish!" Violet awesome-faced. "Too which he was promptly picked up with her demon strength and hurled across town into an open dumpster. In time...he even learned to walk again." Chameleon's scales flushed an even darker shade of red. "Master's face is red again. Is not dominant?" Wow. That was a throwback. I can't believe he remembered that incident. "Maybe now you'll think twice before questioning if her highness is "all natural"." Verlaine walked past as Valkyrie gave Chameleon the stink-eye. "Well, she's got a point, Chameleon." Valerie smirked. "Valerie...don't encourage your mother." Chameleon face-palmed. Violet chuckled. "What?" "Thanks for making my reference for me." Chameleon narrowed his eyes. "Chin up, Chameleon. Give me incentive and I can get you a discount on Hestia's latest and greatest cherry-filled confection." "They call it making a deal with the Devil for a reason, rabbit." "Okay, okay. Let's not turn this into Halloween 2 and 1/2." Asriel tried to keep the peace. "Azzy, my boy...there are some qualms you can't resolve; not without personal injury to body, mind, and/or feelings." "You know if this were Al Dente, I'd feel a lot less guilty about leaving him high and dry." "Speaking of Al. Vi, what embarrassing costume did you get for him this year?" "Welllllll..." Violet pointed. "Uh...Violet?" Sally blinked. "Why is he wearing one of those cones that dogs wear when they.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." "Yup." "Wow. He did something so asenine that he got injured and couldn't even wear a Halloween costume this year." "I call it the Cone of Shame. You hear that, Al?! Be shaaaaaaaamed!" Al uttered a whimper. "Okay that almost makes up for pushing it, Tokugawa." Chameleon cracked what I assumed was supposed to be a smirk. If Chameleon hated Al, that kinda put him and Violet on the same page. Scary thought. "I was going to dump that brand of kibble that makes its own gravy into his cone followed by a gallon of water. But I rather he buy the farm from giving himself a heart attack over drowning." "That's...dark, Vi." Sally sweatdropped. "But deserved. Let him do it to himself. " I sighed. "Absolve yourself from any accountability and reap the payoff. Typical Vi." "Wow, I know this is Halloween and all, but this is scaring me." A long pause. "Ahhhhhh...I get ya. Just Aunt Vi getting into the 'spirit' of things, right?" Pun point for Goat Son. Violet grinned. A little too convincingly. Holy crap, dude. The night closed with Brooke making her appearance as General Leia Organa from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But her highness was there not just for the festivities but to judge the winners of the costume contest. "And the award for most improved goes to...Antoine D'Cooliette." Antoine strutted up and accepted his award. Surprisingly without tripping over his own feet. Applause. After all this time, Antoine got respect. "And the booby prize for worst in show...goes to Al Dente." Al lay face down where he had been trampled from...let's just say the festivities getting a bit rambunctious after Chameleon's moment of reliving the past. "Way to fail, Alfred. No one lowers the bar like you." Violet crossed her arms with a smirk. "And finally the best costume goes to.........Kid for absolutely nailing his Lord Beerus costume." "Oh well. Better luck next time." Asriel shrugged. I brushed it off too. We all had fun. "Happy Halloween, everybody!" Sub-Entry 070: "I Put My Plan Into Motion": Back to Rabbotou Dojo. I was going back to Waterfall. But not without a plan. Not without a trump card. It was a bold plan. One the Council would never approve of. I'm pretty sure it broke rules and regulations. That was one obstacle I'd deal with later. For right now. The main obstacle was-- "...okay." "Wait? Just like that?" "You need help. I'll do it." Bunnie nodded. Well. That was...easy. "So...what do we tell Asriel?" "As much truth can be allowed." "Well...I guess it counts as an off-world adventure. Taking someone off world is one thing. But taking someone who isn't S.T.C. off world and through time and to another pocket realm of the UltraVerse." "We won't be leaving our part of the Multi-verse. This Undertale AU is one of many. It manefested in our universe. It should not be that much of an inconvenience to them." "Should not. But it will be. Plus there's the matter of going through time. If we were to sync their timeline with ours, much time has already passed. Frisk has probably already succeeded at doing the dirty deeds in Waterfall and Hotland. To where and when we're headed, we'll be making use of my Data Save State Markers; to points which have already become the past." "Yet when we arrive, it will be as though you never left?" "Correct. We'll be stopping whatever happened before it happened." "Okay. You understand the plan. You know where to meet me." Later, at the trainyard depot. "I know you're not exactly a licensed locomotive engineer but--" "It will not be a problem. I understand your instructions on how to operate the E.L.B. Time Train." Bunnie stepped aboard and closed the door. I nodded as I jumped in the Delorean, in between the track sets. "We'll each two-prong this. I'll be in Waterfall. If not at the entrance, then nearby. Possibly intercepted by Sans or close to Monster Kid." "Understood. I'll take the mouth of Mount Ebott and go through the Ruins. I will check on Toriel for you and make sure that the child has not doubled back to try for a second attempt. "It will also mean you'll have to pass through Snowdin Town. If you run into Sans, do what you can to catch up. He'll probably figure out you're with me. As to how he'll handle it? Be prepared for the possibility he won't be in a friendly mood as well as the possibility he will be. Beware his puns and jokes." "I've put up with Violet long enough to take anything he might have." "Also be ready in case you meet Papyrus. Be forewarned of random spaghetti offerings." "I wil...bear that in mind. I have also been briefed on how to handle the other monsters and the Royal Guard if I'm discovered. I will try to rely on stealth though to make up as much time as possible." "Good." "Asriel has been informed we will be out. He'll keep the others out of trouble." "Don't you mean the other way around?" "..." "Oh. Right. I forgot who we were talking about. My bad." I rubbed the back of my head. "Time is wasting. Let us depart." I started up the Delorean as Bunnie started the train down the tracks. We both turned the time circuits on. The destinations and such were already set. We speed out of town, the speedometers climbing higher and higher. "Get ready, Major." "Standing by, Commander." I activated the hover conversion as did Bunnie. We both took to the sky at the same time. "Floor it." With a final burst of acceleration, we left our home and disappeared through the wormholes, en route to the Underground. Chapter 8 Back to Part 1 Back to Project Lost Dreemurr Next